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Daytona!!
One of the world's most famous racetracks, Daytona International
Speedway is also one of the fastest. The 2.5-mile tri-oval is the
second-fastest circuit in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series (behind
Talladega), with qualifying
speeds over 185 miles per hour despite restrictor plates.
Daytona is a huge complex, sprawling over 480 acres of land on the
east coast of Florida. It is located 56 miles northeast of Orlando
and 90 miles south of Jacksonville.
Daytona hosts the "Great American Race," the
Daytona 500, each
February. The race is the first official race of the NASCAR
Nextel Cup series, and is preceded by Speedweeks. The main events
of Speedweeks are Daytona 500 qualifying, the Bud
Shootout (a race of all the previous season's pole winners), and the
Gatorade Twin 125's, which determine rows 2 through 15 of the starting
positions for the Daytona 500.
The track also hosts the opening Craftsman Truck and Busch series
races during 500 weekend, and hosts another NASCAR weekend in July, when
the Busch and Nextel Cup series make a return visit around the 4th of
July for a Friday-Saturday doubleheader. See the NASCAR
Nextel Cup,
Busch, and
Truck schedules for dates.
Tickets to the Daytona 500 are difficult to obtain, but are usually
available until close to race day if you're willing to see only part of
the track. Tickets to the Pepsi 400 in July are much easier to
get, but there is still high demand for the best seats. For
information, call 386-253-RACE. To buy Daytona 500 tickets, click
here.
Beer may be brought into the track on race day, but must be in cans
and must be carried in a 6x6x12 or smaller soft bag (no hard coolers are
allowed).
Parking and traffic around Daytona is horrible. For some
reason, permanent parking lots around the track are scarce. You
can park in nearby business lots if you reach the area by 5 or 6 in the
morning on race day; otherwise, you will be directed to a lot, and a
shuttle bus will take you to the track.
